Dumplings - general principles and methods of cooking
Translated from the German word “dumpling” means “lump”. In fact, dumplings are lumps of dough, which are prepared as an independent dish or filler for other dishes, usually soups. However, there is still no consensus on the origin of dumplings. This dish under one name or another is present in the kitchens of various nations.
It is prepared not only by Germans, but also by Poles, Czechs, Lithuanians, and the recipes for cooking dumplings are very different among themselves. However, in terms of the main ingredients (flour, eggs, milk), the methods of cooking this dish in all cuisines are very similar. Some people make dumplings more fragrant with spices and herbs, while Germans and Hungarians, for example, add dough for dumplings with sausages and cracklings.
As we have said, for the preparation of dumplings they use flour, eggs and water, however, they are also prepared from semolina, potatoes and other products. In some recipes, dumplings are cooked with meat, adding it to the dough, or as a filling.
Dumplings - food preparation
The main products for cooking dumplings are flour, milk and eggs. As in other cases, the taste and appearance of the finished dish is largely dependent on the quality of the original products.
Flour before preparing the dough for dumplings should be sieved, and more than once, to enrich it with oxygen and make the dough more airy. It must be remembered that the amount of flour in the recipe is always given approximate, because the density of the dough obtained is determined not only by the amount of flour, but also by its quality, fat and density of milk, etc. Therefore, the hostess must be prepared for the fact that in the dough for dumplings go more or less flour compared to the amount indicated in the recipe.
For the preparation of dumplings should be selected fresh eggs that have a clean, shiny shell. Milk is usually taken fresh or pasteurized. Dumplings - the best recipes
Recipe 1: Flour Dumpling
These dumplings are used in soups or as a separate dish. For cooking, you can take wheat or buckwheat flour, and you can use a mixture of rye, barley and buckwheat flour. Milk in the recipe can be replaced by water. In addition, since different types of flour and oil have different properties, the amount of liquid in the recipe can be varied to obtain the desired consistency of the dough for dumplings.
Ingredients:
6 tbsp. spoons of flour (without top);
100 gr. milk;
2 eggs;
30 gr. butter (you can use sunflower as appropriate);
1 small onion;
0.5 tsp cumin.
Method of preparation:
1. Pound butter and milk with egg yolks until white, then gradually add flour and water to this mass in small portions.
2. Salting the resulting dough and flavoring it with spices, we add egg whites, whipped beforehand, into it, and rub it again. We get the dough, which has the consistency of porridge-gravy.
3. From the resulting dough with a teaspoon, which we moisten in water, separate the small pieces, which we cook for about 5 minutes (after preloading the water). Dumplings can be considered ready when they begin to float to the surface.
Recipe 2: Custard flour dumplings
For making such dumplings, the flour is brewed. The recipe for custard dumplings suggests slightly different proportions of flour and other ingredients, unlike the previous recipe, so they taste a little different.
Ingredients:
50 gr. flour;
3 tbsp. spoons of butter;
2 eggs;
100 gr. milk;
2 tsp. chopped greens (parsley with dill),
on the tip of a salt knife.
Method of preparation:
1. Boil milk with butter, pour flour over it, and, without removing it from the heat, quickly stir the mixture to make an elastic mass that will lag behind the walls.
2. Then remove the resulting choux dough from the heat and, with continuous stirring, add salt and spices. After cooling the dough, mix it with pre-pounded yolks and beat. Then gradually introduce the whipped proteins, carefully stir the dough again. 3. Then, wetting a teaspoon in water, separate small pieces from the resulting dough and, lowering them into boiling salted water, boil over low heat until the dumplings are on the surface.
Recipe 3: Dumps from semolina
Dumplings made of semolina are very delicate in taste, they can be used as a separate dish or soup filler. Also semolina dumplings can be made sweet.
Ingredients:
10 art. l semolina;
500 gr. milk;
20 gr. butter;
2 eggs.
Method of preparation:
1. Bring milk to a boil over low heat, then, with constant stirring, add a thin stream of semolina into it. Add sugar and salt, cook on low heat for about 3 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool under the lid.
2. Beat the eggs with a mixer, add them to the cooled semolina, then add the butter and beat the mixture into a homogeneous fluffy mass.
3. Take the cone cone bag, in which the metal tube is inserted, and fill it with three quarters of porridge, which we prepared. We twist the wide free end of the bag, then, taking it in the left hand, squeeze the porridge over the dishes in which the water boils. When the porridge is squeezed out of the pastry bag, we cut the dumplings into even slices with a knife, which we dip into the water from time to time.
Recipe 4: Millet Dumplings
Even if you dislike millet porridge, be sure to try millet dumplings. They have a very special taste, nutritious and healthy.
Ingredients:
50 gr. millet;
100 gr. milk;
2 tsp. Sahara;
2 eggs;
50 gr. sour cream;
1 tbsp. l flour;
40 gr. butter.
Method of preparation:
1. Cook viscous porridge from millet, sugar and milk, cool it to about 70 degrees, then mix porridge with eggs, sour cream and wheat flour, mix everything well.
2. Shape dumplings into masses and boil them in salted water. Served with melted butter or sour cream.
Recipe 5: Potato dumplings
In the kitchens of almost all nations, potato dumplings occupy a special, honorable place. They are very tasty and nutritious, and cooking them is very simple. If you are able to cook mashed potatoes, then you can also mash potato dumplings easily.
Ingredients:
5 potatoes;
100 gr. rye or wheat flour;
50 gr. butter;
2 eggs;
1 onion;
1 tsp. salt and cumin.
Method of preparation:
1. Boil potatoes in salted water and mash them into puree, add butter to it.
2. Finely chop the onion and fry it in vegetable oil, mix it with mashed potatoes, mashed yolks, flour (we introduce it gradually), as well as slightly whipped whites. To the resulting mass add cumin, salt and mix everything thoroughly.
4. Boil the dumplings in salted water, serve them with butter and fried onions.
Dumplings - useful tips from experienced chefs
Although when cooking dumplings, milk can be replaced with water, if possible you should not do this, since dumplings with milk are softer and more tasty.
Do not neglect the advice, first beat the yolks with butter, and only then, mixing them with the dough, add the same whipped whites. Only in this case, the dumplings will be tender, airy and very tasty.
